The southern province of Long An has dismissed its chief state prosecutor from his post for attending a drinking party at which a woman drowned last month, a source told Thanh Nien Wednesday.

Under the decision by the Long An's People's Procuracy, Nguyen Kim Doan has been removed from his post as chief of the Can Giuoc District's People's Procuracy.

While waiting to be appointed at another post, Doan and Nguyen Huong Giang, deputy head of the office, will be disciplined by the district's Party Unit for their actions, the source said.

On August 20, Doan and Giang joined a drinking party on a barge along the Vam Co River with a dozen other people, including five women.

After drinking, some of the party goers went swimming in the river. Dinh Thi Kim Phuong, 20, who didn't join them because she couldn't swim, fell into the river accidentally, according to initial conclusions announced by police earlier this month.

Both Doan and Giang told police and the committee that they didn't know most of the people who attended the party with them.

However, Tuoi Tre last week quoted several locals as saying that they had spotted Giang drinking with two women on board, including Phuong, in a previous instance.

The committee of the Can Giuoc District's Party Unit said earlier that the officials seemed to have violated ethical norms. Even though they didn't initiate the party, they didn't refuse to attend it upon knowing that among the women were two waitresses from a local karaoke service.